“Old MacDonald had a … rancho?” Well, in this book, his friend, Señor Pancho, does! Based on the beloved children’s song, this retelling with a Spanish twist has one page with the original English language verse: “Old MacDonald had a farm E-I-E-I-O. Hello!” facing a page featuring the adapted Spanish-styled one: “Señor Pancho had a rancho, cha-cha-cha-cha-cha. ¡Hola!” The pattern continues with many of the animals one would imagine could be found on a farm: rooster/gallo, dog/ perro, sheep/ oveja, horse/ caballo, chick/ pollito, and cow/ vaca. To make things even more fun, the animal sounds are also translated! And so the dog says “woof, woof,” while the perro says “guau, guau.”
Read Related: Bear at Home/Oso en Casa
The fun ending will have kids laughing (and learning two languages at once!). The illustrations highlight the overall light-heartedness of the narrative. Also included at the start of the book is a glossary of all the Spanish and English words used, and a pronunciation guide for the Spanish animal sounds.
—Reviewed by Beth Rotella, Teacher, New York
